Frostbite
by BlueCamellia
Summary: When Haruka accidentally stumbles upon the frozen corpse of a young child, she inadvertently sets off a chain of horrifying events. One by one, children start disappearing, and Haruka suddenly becomes both main suspect, and the only chance of keeping the children alive. (Warning: Gruesome descriptions - you've been warned) YxH / UPDATED: Chapter Five.
1. Chapter 1

There was a certain beauty about freezing to death.

Your corpse eternally frozen in place...the last moments of your life blessing your features as you stared out upon the world of the living with something akin to serenity. People who froze to death often died in their sleep, well, as far as she knew. She hadn't personally known anybody who knew someone who had died that way, nor had she met any of those unfortunates spirits.

What Haruka did know, is that if she were to suddenly lay down, give into the sweet surrender of sleep, her corpse would not be beautiful. Her face would be forever stained a harsh red with cold. Nose puffy and swollen with a flu that would not leave her alone. Her eyes clamped shut in sheer stubbornness, instead of resting peacefully against her cheeks.

If she were to die here, stood miserably at a bus stop – she surmised she would look like a corpse that had spent the last year under water, even minutes after death.

If her brain had not been numbed with the cold, she would have been horrified at her minds casual evaluation of corpses. Maybe the bad weather had frozen her sense of humanity?

Or perhaps she had been spending a little to much time with Yakumo and his detachment towards bodies with pulses had grown on her.

Either way, she was utterly miserable.

With only a ten days until the beginning of the new year, a heavy snowstorm had settled over Sagamihara. Bringing with it harsh, sixty miles per hour winds from both Tokyo and Sagami Bay. And just to make sure every soul who lived in the area was just the right amount of miserable, an unusual fog bank had settled over Tama. All trains had been limited to one per hour due to low visibility. The bus service had remained active, yet there was no guarantee that one would turn up at all.

Which meant she was stuck. Alone, cold, miserable and stuck.

Resisting the urge to sniffle frivolously, Haruka lifted her hand from the limited warmth inside her coat pocket to attempt to read the current time on her phone. As it had been for the last forty minutes, her attempt was futile. Even if she could see through the swirling snow and fog, her winter hat all but obscured her view. At best, she could make out the dull glow of her mobile's screen.

Nearing the end of her third year at Chuo University, she had spent the last two days preparing her junior class for the holidays. Interning at the Higashiatago Elementary School was both a rewarding thoroughly exhausting experience. She had been given the position of temporary substitute teacher after Miss Komai's death three months ago. A sudden promotion that she did not expect nor was sure she wanted.

After the incident with Masato, all Haruka had wanted to do was rest. She missed the life she'd had when she was simply attending her classes. Occasionally wondering off track to help Yakumo and Gatou solve a murder case. Or simply put a distressed spirit to rest.

But...it had been her dream since she was thirteen to be a teacher. And with her sudden promotion, that dream seemed to be within arms reach...she was not about to give up and suddenly change her major just so she could get a good nights rest and solve murder cases.

Letting out an irritated huff, Haruka slipped her phone and considerably numbed hand back into her coat pocket, sending a undeserving glare through the snow. As was common when constantly surrounded by a group of young children, she had caught a winter cold on the second to last day of school. Teachers were not immune to germs after all.

Her head hurt, her nose couldn't decide whether to leak profusely or burn and there was an ache in her bones that was getting worse with the cold.

It was at times like this she desperately wished she had a car. During the summer she had thought it pointless to invest in one, as the school was a ten minute walk from her apartment. Five if she cut through Atagohigashi Park. Now she was seriously regretting being sensible.

Earlier that morning, she had received a call from one of her tutors, asking her to make the trip to her university to collect her examination scores for the last semester. At that point the sky had only promised the chance of snow, so she had though it was safe to make the quick outing. Of course, she had barely stepped out of the Universities main doors when the storm had settled over her. Luckily, one of her classmates had offered to drop her at the train station. Not so luckily, all trains had been delayed until 'further notice'. So it was off to the bus stop she went, trudging grumpily through the increasing cold and snow. That had been nearly an hour ago, and she was still waiting.

A sudden icy gush of wind pressed at her back, threatening to topple her over. Letting out a small squeak, Haruka tipped forwards, her hands stretching out and whirling comically in the air as she attempted to centre herself. She still lost her balance, falling with a powder-like sounding crunch onto her hands and knees.

Instantly, the fabric of her jeans absorbed all the water and ice beneath her. And a very un-lady like curse spewed from her lips.

This was ridiculous! Damn this cold and damn this weather! Normally she would have been home by now. It barely took her half and hour on the train to get back to her apartment. She should be huddled up on her bed, dressed in her favourite over-sized night shirt and drinking a warm cup of hot chocolate. Not face-printing the snow, a good forty minute walk from anywhere familiar and dry.

It took the musical jingling of her mobile to remind her she was still on her knees. Huffing with irritation and self pity she stood, stomping her feet in an attempt to both remove the snow from her clothes and return her blood flow back to normal.

"What?" Her welcoming answer reflected her mood. On the other end of the phone there was a startled silence.

"Haruka?" The concerned tone in her mothers voice made her wince, and she instantly gave an apologetic smile.

"Sorry mama..."

"Are you alright?" Keiko asked softly. Letting out a deep sigh, Haruka simply made a small noise in response and lifted her spare hand to tug on her hat.

"I'm fine. I got caught in the snow storm...mentally preparing myself to walk home"

"You're _out_ in that? I've been watching it on the news all morning...they are saying its going to get worse" Her mother stated, a quiet interference on the phone as she turned her head. Towards the television Haruka guessed.

"Really? Oh great..."

"Isn't there someone who could pick you up? What about Yakumo? He has his uncles car now, right?" Her mother asked. Haruka frowned, a familiar sadness washing over at the memory of Ishiin's death. She sighed, absently staring into the dense white in font of her.

"Yeah...he does, but its to dangerous to be out in a car now. And besides, he's probably asleep" She replied dryly. Keiko gave a small chuckle.

"Says the person currently stood out in the middle of that same storm?"

"Not my fault I was trapped in it. It wasn't snowing when I left earlier..." Haruka grumbled.

"Even so, you need to hurry up and get inside. How far away are you from your apartment?"

"I'm at the bus stops near the train station by Chou. So at least a forty minute walk. Over an hour really, if you take the snow into account"

"What are you wearing?" Keiko suddenly asked. Haruka blinked.

"Heh?"

"What are you _wearing_?" Her mother repeated. Haruka sighed and rolled her eyes. She was asking if she was dressed properly.

"I'm wearing my favourite polka-dot bikini and a pair of sandals"

Keiko huffed.

"And I'm sure you look beautiful. What are you wearing over that?"

"Over it? Nothing. I've decided I'm going to get myself a Yeti husband. This is me telling them I'm ready for marriage" Haruka grinned. She had started moving, slowly putting one foot in front of the other, the conversation with her mother distracting her from what was going to be a very long and very cold walk. On the other end of the line, Keiko let out a bark of laughter.

"Is that so? And here's me hoping you'd marry a kappa. I've always wanted to see an underwater wedding."

"I'm sure you still could. Who knows what Yeti weddings are like?" Haruka mused. Keiko chuckled softly to herself again then seemed to sober.

"Now seriously, what are you wearing?"

Haruka sighed, but her good mood remained.

"A black coat, white jeans and my chequered winter hat" She replied dutifully.

"The coat that your father got you last year? The thick woolly one?"

"Yes Mama. And my pink suede sweater underneath"

"Good. So...black coat, white jeans and a chequered hat. Got it"

Haruka blinked, slowing to a stop in confusing.

"What have you got?" She asked suspiciously. Keiko chuckled once more, and a little more interference echoed down the phone.

"I'll call you right back"

"Huh? Mama what are you doing?"

"Nothing dear. Try not to move to far from where you are"

"Wha-"

The line disconnected before she could finish her question. A confused scowl marred her features. Moving the phone once more in front of her, Haruka glared carefully at the darkened screen, mentally counting the seconds it took for her mother to call back. When she counted to sixty, she started again, using her free hand to brush stubborn snow flakes away from her eyes.

When the screen suddenly flashed, she jumped – having been concentrating a little to hard her mental number game. Letting out a small huff, she hurried the appliance back to her ear, her question already falling from her mouth.

"What was all that about?" She demanded. An irritated sigh was all that answered her for a long moment.

"Can you go a single day without getting into trouble?" A deep, familiar voice asked. Haukra felt her face fill with colour, her mouth dropping open in a silent, indignant retort.

"Yakumo! How did- Why are _you_ calling me?" She asked. The irritated man sighed again.

"Your mother called me. I apparently have to come and save you again"

"My moth- wait, how does my mom have your phone number?"

After a short moment of nothing but the sounds of movement, and the tell-tale closing of a car door, Yakumo sighed again.

"Idiot. I gave it to her"

Scowling, Haruka put her hand on her hip, ignoring the icy wind that bit at her exposed fingers. She must have looked a little foolish. Stood in the middle of a worsening storm having an argument with her phone.

"Why?" She demanded. Yakumo sighed once more, and the sound of a car engine echoed down the line.

"Stop asking stupid questions. Where are you exactly?"

Haruka blinked, looking around her properly for the first time since she had started walking. She had barely made it six feet away from the now invisible bus stop.

"I'm still near the Chou University train station. Wait, does this mean your actually _coming_?"

"It would bother me greatly if you died"

"H-heh?"

"I have a feeling you would be more irritating as a spirit. I'd rather not have to deal your pestering for the rest of my life"

"Ugh...Was that last part _really_ necessary?"

"Yes. Now go back to the bus stop. Is there a shelter you can stand under?"

Grumbling under her breath, Haruka span on her heel and trotted forcefully back the short distance she had walked. She needed to have a serious talk with her Mama. Why couldn't she have called Gotou? Or even Ishii? She knew her mother had both of their numbers saved on speed dial. She supposed she should be happy. She _knew_ she should be happy. Yakumo was driving through a bad storm just to pick her up. But at that moment, her feet numbed to the point of pain with the cold and her breaths seeming a lot slower than she was happy with, she could barely find the energy to pretend to be annoyed.

"Hey, troublemaker. Are you still there?" Yakumo asked. Haruka blinked, coming to a stop in the exact place she had been standing in for the past hour.

"Yes I'm here. And n-no...there isn't a shelter. Just a p-pole with a sign on it" She replied, now shivering. It seemed the news report was right...the temperature had dropped significantly in the past ten minutes.

"Are you shivering or has your stupidity evolved into a stutter?"

"S-shut up. It's c-cold out here y-you know" Haruka fussed. Another sigh echoed down the phone.

"Is there anywhere with shelter near by? Somewhere you can wait?"

"I dunno. Can't s-see anything any more. To damn f-foggy"

"Try to use one of your braincells. How far are you from the train station? Can you make it back to it?"

Haruka huffed, her free arm wrapping around her stomach in an attempt to warm herself up. She _could_ make it to the train station from here. If she stepped carefully and tried to stay on the pathway. It would be the perfect end to a perfect day if she stepped into the road and was hit by a car. Or even better, the bus she had been desperately waiting for. Letting out a sigh of her own, she continued her depressed march forwards, her eyes focussing on the barely visible dent that told her where the slightly raised walkway met the road. If in another ten minutes that dent would be covered by at least eight inches of snow. She sped up a little.

"I can m-make it. May take me a while, but I'll do it. Where about are you?"

Inside the happy warmth of his car, Yakumo risked a glance at the barely visible outline of a street sign. Fortunately, he knew where he was going, the glance was merely a reflex to Haruka's question.

"I've just past the Hara Clinic" He confirmed. Through his ear piece, he heard her let out a small noise of relief and acknowledgement. He could also hear the crunching of her feet as she struggled through the heavy snow. Meisei and Chou were not that far away from each other. A ten minute drive at best. So he was certain the weather was not any heavier than it was around him.

As if mocking his thought, the weight of the snow hitting against the windscreen increased. Beating a dark rhythm onto the hood and bonnet.

"Oh hell!" Haruka's voice exclaimed.

"What have you done now?"

"I f-fell over again..." She cursed. A lot of angry sounding movement drifted down the phone, accompanied by softly spoken insults. Despite the situation, Yakumo smirked. Using one hand, he turned the car to the left, moving onto the highway that would take him directly to the Chuodaigaku Train Station.

"Again? Did you decide you were not clumsy enough the first time?"

"I d-didn't do it on pur-purpose. Stupid w-wind knocked me over"

Flipping his headlights to their highest strength, Yakumo slowed his speed as his car aligned with the train tracks to his right. On a clear day the station would already be in sight by this point. He squinted, trying to make out the tell tale bulk of the building, and more importantly, to see if he could spot a small silhouette struggling through the whiteness. After a couple of more minutes, Haruka continuously grumbling to herself on the other end of the phone, a certain part of the stretch of white darkened, and the curved top of the station slowly faded into view.

"I'm close to the station. Where are you know?" He asked.

"I'm...I _think_ I'm opposite the r-road that leads to the t-turn in. Can't really tell" Frowning slightly, Yakumo scanned that side of the street. She should be right in front of him. Although, given the strength of the snow and the low visibility, it was possible she had been walking in the wrong direction. It would not surprise him if that were the case.

"Try stepping into the road and flapping your arms. I will be able to see you then"

A shocked whisper of laughter was his response.

"How about _you_ g-get out of the car and f-flap your arms. Then I'll be able to s-see you"

Easing the car forwards until the bulk of the train station was in front of him, Yakumo stopped. Thinking for a moment, he leant forwards and repeatedly pressed the button that controlled his headlights.

"Oh! Is that y-you? I can s-see headlights!"

"Move towards them" He ordered.

Haruka did as she was told, careful where to place her feet. Her latest stumble had hurt. The sudden gush of wind had been so unexpected and alarmingly strong, she had not had time to brace herself before she fell. Once again she had fallen to her knees, this time the joints taking her full weight. Now they stung. With both the cold and pain. She was unsure if she had actually cut one of them.

After three more struggling steps, her gaze determinedly fixed upon the cars headlights, the outline of the car came into view. She nearly cried out in delight, her hand stretching out to follow the smooth outline of the vehicle so she could find her way to the door handle.

With a victorious huff, her fingers eventually closed around the plastic strip. She took one last step forwards, and promptly fell face first back into the snow as her foot caught on something solid. For a short moment, she lay there, her face imprinted into the ground – arms spread either side of her. Her left leg balancing on what ever had toppled her over. She heard the pop of a car door opening, a soft amused laugh drifting to her even over the roar of the wind.

Blustering, she pushed herself up, intending to snap a harsh retort at his amusement, when her gaze landed upon the obstruction that had put her into this situation.

And then she screamed.

* * *

AN:

Okay, so I've did a little tweaking with some locations. (I was wondering around lower Toyko for bloody ages on Google Earth trying to make this as real as possible)

So we know from the series that Yakumo attends Meisei University. Haruka does not. But as much as I tried, I couldn't find another University close to Meisei that would be a believable distance for Haruka to travel to nearly every day to see Yakuomo. So for pretences sake, pretend she attends Chuo University – which I know, is a law focused Uni, but there wasn't another academy's around.

So, what's the verdict? Is it to slow? This is going to be a multi-chaptered fic, so I didn't want to start everything off to quickly. I've wanted to write a STY fanfiction for years. One of my favourite series. This is based of the novels/manga, but will occasionally have moments from the anime in it. So if your confused – go catch up :)

I'm going to need a few creative reviews if I'm going to be carrying on with this. Criticism is welcomed to. If no one likes it, ill simply delete it. No harm done.


	2. Chapter 2

A small face, bleached to a nepeta green by decay and cold, peered through a cocoon of disrupted snow towards the sky. Large dark eyes gaped through a lidless gaze, pupils huge and dilated – the last horrific moments a short life etched upon the once delicate face.

Somebody was holding her. Trying to lift her to her feet, move her away from the tiny form eternally screaming in horror before her. A warm hand was on the side of her face, trying to physically turn her gaze away.

But she couldn't stop looking. She couldn't stop screaming.

The solid object she had tripped over, the obstruction that had been left so casually in the middle on a busy snow bound street, was a child.

A little girl. Who's long chestnut brown hair had been torn from her scalp. Dotted clumps still stuck to the bruised skin, dried blood that had darkened to a thick black caressing the thin strands.

Her eyes had been green. A sweet beautiful green that had reminded Haruka of spring. The child's father had been American. The little girl had inherited her fathers colouring.

Haruka knew this...because the child before her, bent, broken and tortured into a grotesque pile of bones and skin, was Amai Hudson, a little girl that had left Haruka's classroom only two days before, a huge smile on her face as she waved a cheerful goodbye.

Another painful scream tore itself from her throat, and Haruka felt her knees buckle beneath her weight. An arm around her stomach stopped her from once again hitting the ground. Instead, she was lifted off her feet, her legs swinging through the air as the arm keeping her upright tightened, and then carried backwards. The side of her shin hit against the back bumper of the car. Her feet lowered slightly until her heels hit the ground – dragging two deep welts through the snow.

"Haruka!" The sudden impact of a soft yet sharp slap against the side of her face shocked her into silence. With her mouth still hanging open with the remnants of her latest scream, Haruka gasped. Her body went limp, and from behind her she heard a soft grunt as the arm holding her adjusted to her suddenly increased weight.

Yakumo's hand was on her chin, seemingly trying to both keep her head balanced and turn her away from the child's body.

Haruka shuddered, and her eyes closed as a spill of hot tears fell down her cheeks. He was still half carrying her backwards, around the back of the car.

"Amai..." She whispered, her voice thick with shock. Yakumo didn't seem to hear her, his focus on getting her to the passenger side door so he could bundle her into the car.

"It's Amai..." The whisper was muted by the high pitched ringing that announced the opening of the cars door, and then she was abruptly pushed into the empty seat. Yakumo's hand on her head guiding her into the vehicle. Then the door was quickly closed, and Yakumo's blurred out shape momentarily disappeared from view as he rounded the hood of the car.

He stopped for a moment, for the first time_ seeing_ the body that had sent Haruka into such a fit. He stopped for only a short moment, before swiftly moving to slide himself into the drivers seat, closing the door firmly behind him.

Haruka was shaking. Violently. Her fingers gripping the rim of her hat so tightly, her knuckles were almost transparent against the cold-reddened skin of her fingers. Tears still fell slowly down her cheeks. It looked like she was in shock.

Swearing softly under his breath, Yakumo leant forwards to turn the AC to its highest setting, then gently removed her hands from their deathlike grip and pulled them towards the heater. Keeping a reassuring grip on the freezing appendages as he started the car with the other hand.

"She was a baby...she was just a _baby_..." Haruka choked. And then she let out a wail, her hands slipping from his grip to cover her face, her entire body seeming to crumble in on itself in despair.

Yakumo's hand gripped the steering wheel tightly. He needed to concentrate on the road. To get Haruka somewhere warm. Somewhere dry. He needed to call Gotou, get him down here to find out what the hell had happened to that child. He had seen many corpses in his life. In varying stages of decomposition. But _that_...even though he had barely caught a glimpse of the body, he could scarcely tell that it had once been human. The child's spine had been snapped in half, torso and legs bent at an impossible angle. Her eyelids looked as though they had been torn off. He didn't even want to speculate if she had been still alive when that had been done.

And what was the most concerning...he couldn't see her spirit. She had been killed, tortured to death. Where was her ghost? Why was she not still attached to her corpse? It was very rare for a murder victim not to have even the smallest traces of ethereal remains. And this child...someone or some_thing _had tortured her to death. What on earth was going on?

Pushing that thought aside, Yakumo stepped carefully on the accelerator. Convincing the car to move a little quicker then was sensible through the storm.

Right now, he only had two choices.

He could head back towards Meisei, and hope the Hara Clinic was open. Or head towards his Uncles Shrine, a place he hadn't been close to since the funeral. Risking a quick glance towards Haruka, his lips thinned, and he abruptly preformed a dangerous u-turn in the middle of the road. The car skidding violently on its rear tires. He turned into the spin, instantly straightening the car and continuing forwards.

Haruka was unconscious. Her head lolling against her breastbone, bopping slightly with the movement of the car. Her lips were parted slightly, only the tiniest rise of her ridiculously thick coat showing she was breathing. They passed the child's body quickly. The darkened swell of what he knew to be the little girls face appearing as only a blur.

Even so, Haruka flinched, and the soft whisper of a moan emerged from between her lips. His gaze darted to her again. She was still unconscious, yet a fresh spill of tears now ran down her cheeks, fingers slowly clenching against the damp material of her jeans.

Frowning, Yakumo reached into the glove compartment and rummaged for the wireless headset he had thrown in there a few months ago. Placing the device and its charger on his lap, he slipped his phone from his coat pocket and clicked the button that would automatically connect him to Gotou's voice mail.

"Get down to Choudaigaku Train station. Immediately" With that, he hung up. Concentrating on manoeuvring the car through the side streets that ran parallel to the railway tracks and towards Yaen Hwy road. It wouldn't take long for Gotou to call him back. It never did these days.

Within minutes, the headset began to vibrate.

"What kind of call is that you damned cat?" Was the barked welcome.

"There is a body of a young child near the station. A female. Haruka found her. You need to get down here. Now" Yakumo stated without premise.

"It's snowing a shit storm out there, how the hell did you find a body? And what do you mean, Haruka found her?" Gotou grumbled, yet Yakumo could hear a lot of movement through the line. He was already preparing to leave where ever he was.

"Haruka's mother asked me to pick her up. She tripped over the corpse as she was making her way to the car. From her reaction, its safe to guess the child is a member of the class she teaches"

"Damn it to hell. Hows Haruka? Is she okay?" At the question, Yakumo's lips thinned into a harsher frown.

"She lost consciousness shortly after I got her into the car. I'm taking her to Kumano Shrine. It's the closest place"

"She's unconscious?! Is she hurt!?"

"No. I believe it is due to shock and the cold. Gotou, try to cordon off the area as soon as possible. And bring that weird doctor with you. This isn't a usual corpse"

"Usual...? I'm not going to like this am I?" The older man sighed. Yakumo said nothing more, hanging up by placing the headset back into its dock and letting it fall carelessly to the floor beneath him. Even though it had only been nearly two months since his uncles death and sequential adoption of Nao into Gotou's family, Yakumo knew his niece had become a permanent and devoted part of the detectives life. Since the adoption had been made official, Gotou had drastically cut down on his work hours and also had refused to be part of murder investigations that involved children. Perhaps fatherhood had softened the old bear? Asking Gotou to become responsible for the child's body was downright cruel. But Yakumo knew it had to be done. The fact that Haruka was indirectly involved with this murder, if only through association with the victim, would force Gotou to temporarily set aside his misgivings towards child murder cases.

Yakumo turned the car into a sharp right, heading down Yaen Hwy. He would have to pass the shrine completely and make his way up the back-road that branched around the back of the property in order to get Haruka inside. Fortunately that side trip only added minutes to the usual journey, even in bad weather.

Haruka stirred as the car bumped its way up the back-road, the sudden increase in movement jarring her awake. She blinked in bewilderment for a moment, before a watery gasp announced the arrival of more tears. She tried to rub them away to no avail, her entire body shaking with the effort of trying to control another sadness filled wail.

Yakumo frowned deeply. Trying to think of a way to calm her down.

"I called Gotou. He'll look after her" He tried softly. Haruka hiccuped, turning slowly to face him. She nodded, but her mouth still quivered.

"I s-saw her only two days ago...How c-...how could she be...its only been two days!" Finally, the wail broke free, and her last two words erupted as a high pitched whine. She fell forwards, her head impacting lightly with her knees as her hands once again covered her face. Unsure how to help, Yakumo settled for placing a hand on her back. His thumb making soothing motions he was sure she couldn't even feel through her coat.

Her sentence had not made any sense, understandable given her mindset.

It took at least three to four months for a body to reach that level of decomposition. And even then if the corpse had been kept in an area of high humidity. There was no way the child could have been alive two days ago.

Perhaps in her distress Haruka had seen a similarity in the corpse that reminded her of the young child she evidently thought the body was?

Oddly, the storm didn't seem to be as severe around the shrine. The bulk of the main building faded boldly into view as they approached. Its darkened windows and abandoned looking state causing a sudden ache in his heart which he steadfastly ignored. As well as the wooden sign near the front door that told of the shrines upcoming sale.

He parked the car and turned off the engine. Returning his hand to Haruka's back, he allowed her to cry. He would wait as for as long as she needed to compose herself.

In the end it took another ten minutes for her sobs to subside. The strained noises turning into soft hiccups. Then she righted herself, taking in a deep breath that gave only the slightest of wavers.

"Where are we?" She asked softly. Yakumo nodded towards the darkened building in front of them.

"Kumano Shrine"

Haruka's eyes widened slightly.

"Why are we here?"

"It was the only available option" Yakumo shrugged. Whilst he had been waiting for her to calm down, he had turned on the cars inside light. For the first time that day, he was able to get a proper look at her.

She looked feverish. Her skin clammy and inflamed a pale red around her cheeks. Pupils tiny within her eyes. The skin on her lips also looked swollen and cracked, this due to the cold and a probable need to continuously wet them. Her hands shook from their place on her lap.

He would put this down to shock, but by the looks of her she had already been ill before venturing into the cold that morning. If he didn't get her into a set of dry clothes and into a warm room soon, her fever would going to become dangerous. Thinking for a moment, he moved to unclasp his seat belt and put his hand on the car door.

"Stay here. I'm going to unlock the house and put the heating on"

Haruka opened her mouth the argue, to weakly suggest they relocate somewhere else, but he had already left. The car door snapping shut behind him.

* * *

**AN:** Another slow but hopefully intriguing chapter? I don't want to rush into this. I also don't want to have to explain the entire plot of the series. Because when your fandom consists of nothing more than three people, a shoelace and a guy in the background trying to pretend he didn't walk into the wrong fandom by mistake, there's no need is there? Just kinda throwing you all into the story without explaining much. :D


	3. Chapter 3

AN: I'm going to be a sod and tell you all here: The main male antagonist of this story is **NOT** Yakumo's father. So yes, something to think about whilst I drive you all crazy with delayed updates ^_^

* * *

Officer Masao Kibishi had the type of personality Yakumo despised the most. Her demeanour and outward appearance was the epitome of professionalism. Dark hair that had started to grey around the edges was pulled taut into a plain ponytail. Her uniform, which comprised of a crisp white shirt, black jacket and pencil thin pleated trousers, hung over her too-thin frame.

For an unknown reason, she was the officer Gotou had sent to get Haruka's statement. From the sour lines that wrinkled her lips, and the not-so-freindly glances the older woman had been giving him from the moment he had allowed her access into his uncles shrine, she knew who he was.

And, judging by her inattentive and uncaring attitude towards both himself and Haruka, she was clearly the sort who did not, and never would, believe in spirits. The type who enforced their own beliefs onto other people simply to feel a sense of superiority and mental convenience. Because of this, the moment she entered the small room he had left Haruka in, the female officer had ignored his presence completely. Now she sat primly on a tatami mat, her legs folded beneath her as she questioned the still emotionally fragile woman in front of her.

Haruka herself was barely visible beneath her borrowed clothing. After he had warmed the small room that had once been his uncles study (the only room with a fireplace) and steered the shivering woman from the car and into the shrine, he had returned outside to get the large knapsack he kept in the trunk. Once he returned inside, Haruka had settled herself in front of the warming fire, her eyes distant. When he passed her a change of clothing, she turned and gave him a small smile. A sign that the worst of the shock was out of her system at least.

Approximately ten minutes later, she was dressed in one of his black tee's and a pair of dark grey cargo pants, her feet bare and sticking out the bottom of a thin off-white blanket he had discovered in Nao's old bedroom. Then they had sat, both warming cold hands in front of the dull glow of the fireplace. Gotou had called a few minutes later.

The police had cordoned off the street on both sides, protecting the little girls body from the prying eyes of the on-lookers that had already started to gather, despite the bad weather. According to Gotou, Even Dr Hata had become 'uncomfortable' when he saw the child's remains. Because of the large number of people trying to contaminate the crime scene, Gotou had called in Ishii to help with crowd control. Which left only one other officer available to take Haruka's statement. Masao Kibishi. Gotou had ended the call with a muffled apology.

"So you claim you found the body when you 'tripped over it'?" Kibishi asked, bringing Yakumo's thoughts back to the present. Haruka simply nodded, her eyes wide. Kibishi scribbled the confirmation down in her notebook, a look of faint scepticism on her face.

"Why were you in that area? Particularly in such bad weather?" she asked. Haruka frowned and shuffled her legs slightly to get more comfortable.

"I've already told you. I was waiting for a bus. Then Yakumo called and told me he was coming to pick me up. I saw her wh- I mean, I found- It was when I was making my way to the car" Haruka's voice broke a little towards the end of her sentence, and her frown deepened. A sheen in her eyes threatened another onslaught of tears. Kibishi noticed, but said nothing.

"How long were you at the bus stop?" She questioned instead.

"I'm not sure. About an hour?"

"_About_ an hour? Can you be more specific?"

"It was to hard to check the time on my phone because of the snow and fog. But I know I was there for over fourty-five minutes, because of the amount of time it took me to walk from the university" Haruka explained. The hand that was not obstructed by her blanket waving absently in the air.

"Did you see any other people during the time you were stood at the bus stop?"

Haruka shook her head miserably.

"No one"

"Did you speak to anyone besides Mr Saito?"

"Only my mother. She was the one who asked Yakumo to pick me up" Haruka explained. Kibishi nodded and added another sentence to her notepad.

"How long were you on the phone with her?"

"I'm not to sure...about...ten minutes?"

"Alright. I'm going to need your mothers contact information to confirm this. But we can do that later. Did you move away from the bus stop during the time it took for your mother to call Mr Saito and for him to arrive?"

Haruka nodded.

"I started walking away from the University towards my apartment. I didn't make it that far though"

"How far is 'that far'?"

"Barely six foot. It was cold and I was already feeling numb so..."

"Just the facts please Ms Ozawa" Kibishi interrupted. From the opposite side of the room, Yakumo scowled. His opinion of the female detective dropping by the minute. Haruka seemed to share his sentiment, a slight wrinkle appearing on her forehead in annoyance.

"When you found the body, aside from your claim of tripping over it, did you do anything else? For example, touching it, brush off the snow?"

Haruka immediately blanched, the fire tinted glow of her cheeks paling. Yakumo's hand twitched slightly, moving to push himself to his feet so he could order the woman to leave. It did not matter what your opinion of death and the afterlife may be, talking so casually about a dead child – even going as far as to ignore the correct gender labelling, was vile. Particularly in front of someone who was as emotionally distraught as Haruka was. He opened his mouth to reprimand the officer, but Haruka beat him to it.

"_She_" The word seemed to fall in a venomous whisper from her lips. Kibishi blinked, slightly taken aback by the change.

"The_ body_ you are talking so casually about was a little girl. _Her name_ was Asai Hudson. She was eight years old, loved flowers and had a pet cat named Toto. She may be just another pile of flesh to you, but I knew her as a _human being_" Haruka's eyes narrowed, seeming to darken in their anger. Kibishi pursed her lips, lowering her gaze to her notepad uncomfortably.

"I meant no offence Ms Ozawa. Its standard procedure to make sure the crime scene wasn't disrupted or contaminated by-"

"I know what 'standard police procedure' is!" Haruka snapped. Then she groaned, her hand raising to rub against the headache that was forming behind her skull. From his position against the opposite wall, Yakumo smirked. Having once been the target of Haruka's anger, he knew how passionate she could get. Particularly where children were involved. He would let her deal with the obnoxious police officer. At least until it was clear the older woman had overstayed her welcome.

"Ms Ozawa...your co-operation is highly needed for this case. The sooner I can process your statement, the sooner the investigation can start. For the child's sake"

"You _have_ my statement. I've already told you everything. The storm delayed the trains. I walked to the bus stop and waited. My mother called, hung up, called Yakumo to pick me up, then he called. When he arrived, I made my way through the snow to his car, and then 'tripped over' your crime scene. I've covered everything" Haruka growled. She turned her head towards the fire, effectively dismissing the other woman and ending the conversation.

It was clear Kibishi was not impressed with the dismissal, as she flipped the page in her notebook, and readied her pen.

"There is one last thing that needs to be discussed _Ms Ozawa_, and that is how you managed to identify the victim. How did you know – which, incidentally, _has not_ been confirmed by the officers currently at the scene – that the body you found is Asai Hudson?" She asked snappishly. At this point, Yakumo had pushed himself to his feet. He know stood near the doorway, preparing to open it so the detective could leave. She had glanced at him as he had moved, her eyes thinning in disapproval.

Haruka let out a deep sigh, her fingers now massaging the bridge of her nose.

"I'm a substitute teacher at Higashiatago Elementary School. Asai is...was...one of my students" She answered sadly. Kibishi made a confirming noise and wrote the schools name carefully in her notepad. She seemed to think for a moment, the end of her pen tapping against the paper.

"Higashiatago Elementary? Isn't that the school which was the centre of the Tobe Kengo murder investigation a few months ago?" Kibishi asked, the tone of her voice indicating a statement rather than a question. Haruka blinked in surprise, and opened her mouth to respond. Yakumo quickly intervened.

"Detective Kibishi, are you always so quick to discuss past confidential police investigations with complete strangers?" He asked casually. Kibishi's entire body seem to stiffen as he spoke, and her already pursed lips thinned. He could tell she was readying a retort, but chose to simply ignore he had spoken instead. She turned her attention back to Haruka.

"Would I be right in assuming the class you teach used to belong to Miss Miyaki Komai?"

Haruka simply nodded in response.

"You were promoted from an intern to substitute teacher after her death, am I correct?" Haruka's eyebrows lowered in both confusion and irritation.

"Yes, but I don't see how that is relevant to-"

"I'm simply covering all the facts Ms Ozawa"

Haruka seemed to sigh deeply, her whole body wilting in exhaustion. Yakumo took that as his cue.

"I think that is enough for now. As Detective Gotou is the lead investigator for this case, any other questions can come from him. Thank you for your time Detective Kibishi"

And with that, Yakumo slid open the door and purposefully took a step back. Allowing Kibishi room to vacate. Fortunately, she seemed to take the hint, and stiffly pushed herself to her feet. She gave Haruka a small nod, and slipped her note book into her satchel, brushing imaginary lint off her trousers as she did so.

"Mr Saito is quite correct, Detective Gotou will be the one who will get in touch if we have any more questions. Good Day Ms Ozawa"

She left the room promptly, barely sparing Yakumo a glance as she passed.

Haruka was quiet as they listened to the woman's retreating footsteps. It was only when they heard the roar of a cars engine starting and Yakumo slowly closed the door that she let out a deep sigh.

"Charming, isn't she?"

* * *

He picked up on the second ring.

"She's perfect" The words emerged as a sigh of deep and utter longing. On the other end of the phone, all that could be heard was a deep male breathing. Yet, at those sounds the woman who held her mobile carefully over her ear licked her lips in delight.

"You were right my darling. Her soul has already started to crumble. She won't last long" The woman gasped. The breathing hitched slightly, acknowledging her statement.

"Yes...her body is perfect. She is young...slender..._untouched._ She will make a perfect canvas" Once more, the deep breathing hitched. The sound accompanied by a strange dull watery splatter. The vibration of something large and wet hitting the ground. The woman let out a long wanton sigh, her fingertips caressing the inside of her thigh.

"Yes my beloved. _He_ will be no trouble. He did not even notice. And by the time he does...it will be too late. She will be ours" A small childlike giggle fell from the woman's lips, followed quickly by another long moan. There was some slight disturbance on the other end of the phone, before a deep, inhuman rattle echoed across the line.

"**Weeell dooneee my loooove...**"


	4. Chapter 4

As the younger sister of two older and _really mean _brothers, Emi had made it her life's mission to do something better than her brothers. She was to small to climb trees, to weak to play wrestling. Every time they all played together in the small woods behind their house, she was always scared by the bugs, or got her hair caught in the tree's. Her mommy never wanted her to play outside anyway, because she always came back with dirt all over her clothes. And her Daddy...well, Daddy was always working. But Emi knew _he_ would let her play outside, if she promised to be careful.

That day, they had all been playing in the snow. Her brothers had challenged her and her mommy to a snow ball fight, which they had won because they cheated and hid behind the dogs kennel.

It had been really really fun. So when the storm had gotten worse, she had complained when mommy had told them they had to go inside. But Mommy was strict, and they knew they had to listen to her.

Her brothers hadn't let her play with them in their bedroom. (Girls can't play soldiers!) and mommy had been talking on the phone. It was then that she had had a brilliant idea. Maybe girls couldn't play soldiers, or climb trees, or even play camping because of the bugs – but they _could_ build snowmen!

She would sneak into the front garden, and make the biggest and most brilliant snowman her brothers had ever seen! Then they would _have_ to play with her!

With her plan etched firmly into her mind, Emi crept from her bedroom and tiptoed down the stairs, making sure to keep her head low so mommy couldn't see her from the kitchen. Her winter coat and boots were by the front door. She had to stretch to get her coat (She couldn't reach it before. Maybe if she kept getting taller she would be big enough to squash her brothers...)

She giggled, and instantly gasped, her hands flying to her mouth as her eyes darted towards the kitchen. Mommy hadn't heard her. Phew! As quietly as she could, Emi slipped on her thick snow boots and fastened the buttons and zip of her coat. Thinking quickly, she plucked her hat from where it had fallen into the floor and put it on her head, careful make sure her ears were covered.

Then, taking one last careful look towards the kitchen, Emi tiptoed towards the front door. Opening it carefully and squeezing her body through the small space she made. If she was quiet, the door wouldn't make any noise when she closed it.

It wasn't until she made it down the stone pathway that lead into the front garden, that she allowed herself a delighted whoop of laughter. The snow was really heavy, but it was perfect for snow man building. Giggling at her brilliant idea, Emi span. Her arms raising either side of her as she danced across the garden, little face turned upwards towards the sky. Her tongue popping out to catch the snowflakes as they drifted past her.

Then, after letting out a small sneeze with the cold, she bent. Gathering a large pile of snow in between her hands and shaping it into a ball. Her fingers instantly numbed with the cold, but Emi ignored them. With this much now, it would barely take her ten minutes to build her snowman. Then she would run back inside, and bring her brothers to their window, so they could see how amazing she was!

With her ball suitably shaped, she dropped it back onto the ground, using her hands to roll across the ball across the ground, patting it into shape. Soon, her ball was almost as big as her legs. Giggling, she repeated the action, making another ball and rolling it around the snow covered slope until it was to heavy to push. Dashing back to her first ball, she picked it up, struggling slightly under its weight. Retracing her steps, she shuffled through the snow carefully, until she was able to lean forwards and plop the smaller ball onto the bigger one.

Taking a step back, Emi gave a grin of delight at her handiwork. Her snowman was already huge! All she needed was another ball for his head and he would be finished!

She turned on the spot, preparing to bend down for another scoop of snow, when a tall dark shape appeared in front of her. Surprised, Emi stepped backwards, promptly falling over her own feet. She landed on her butt, a pitiful gasp announcing her displeasure.

"Oh my!" The soft voice came from above her. Squinting, Emi looked up to see the smiling face of a woman. She had one hand out-streched, offering to pull Emi to her feet.

"I am sorry! I didn't mean to scare you. Are you okay?" The woman asked. Frowning, Emi pushed herself to her feet and brushed her frozen hands over her rear, dislodging the snow. Then, she raised her eyes and gave the woman a firm scowl.

"Don't talk to strangers" She recited. A message than her daddy had made her repeat every time they went out. The strange lady blinked, before smiling.

"Good girl! But you can trust me sweetheart. I'm a police officer. See?" There was some shuffling, and the woman held out a black wallet, opening it to show a shiny gold badge and a card with her picture on it. Emi took it, looking back and forth between the picture and the woman. Finally, she smiled, and handed the wallet back.

"You look pretty with your hair down" She observed. The woman blinked, and let out a soft laugh.

"Do I? Why, thank you. Your a very polite young lady. What's your name?"

"Emi. Takahara Emi" Emi replied, bowing in greeting. The woman gave another of her soft laughs, and copied the action.

"Hmm...Takahara Emi...you don't happen to go to Higashiatago Elementary School do you?" She asked. Emi's mouth dropped open is surprise.

"How did you know that?" She gasped. The woman chucked and lowered herself to her knees so she was on Emi's eye level. She didn't seem at all bothered by the cold.

"I'm a police officer. I know everything" She replied, winking mischievously. Emi smiled. She liked this woman. She seemed really nice.

"Now Emi, what are you doing outside in such horrible weather?" The woman asked, her tone slightly reprimanding. Emi pulled a face and turned so she could pat the side of her snowman.

"I'm building a snowman so my brothers will let me play with them" She explained. The woman frowned.

"Your brothers wont let you play with them unless you build a snowman?"

Emi shook her head.

"No, I'm going to build the biggest and bestest snowman they've ever seen. So when I show it to them, they're gonna to be so impressed, they will _have_ to let me play with them!" The woman let out a delighted peel of laughter.

"Well, it already looks amazing! I'm sure they will be very impressed! But where's his face?" She asked. Emi frowned and turned to observe her snowman.

"I wasn't going to give him one" She admitted. The woman huffed strangle and pushed herself to her feet.

"Oh that wont do! All snowmen need faces. Tell you what, I have a bag of groceries in my car. I will give you a carrot for his nose and some grapes for his eyes, if you promise me you'll go back inside and get warm when he's finished, okay?"

Emi nodded vigorously.

"I promise!" She swore. The woman smiled happily and held out her hand. Emi took it, grinning in delight as the woman led her down the small slope towards the road. Her car was instantly visible, even through the snow.

There seemed to be a small child standing at the front, one hand resting on the bonnet. Emi tilted her head and squinted, trying to see who it was. Maybe one of the children who lived near her had also come out side to play in the snow? Maybe when the nice police lady gave her the carrot and grapes, they could finish her snowman together?

Skipping the last few feet towards to car, Emi allowed the woman to pull her to a stop and smiled happily at her as she unlocked her boot. Leaning to the side slightly, she tried to catch a glimpse of the child on the other end of the car and instantly frowned when she could see anything. But she was sure someone was there...

Still frowning, she turned and lifted her head to ask the nice woman if she had seen the child too, when something small and dark appeared behind the woman's legs. Emi gasped, instantly recognising the face of her friend.

"Amai?"

And then, with a painful blow that sent her careering to the ground, everything went dark.

* * *

"Oi, quack doctor, you got anything yet?" The gruff question came from a man who looked as though he wanted to be anywhere but here. His gaze was fixed upon the ground beneath him, as if he was gathering every ounce of will power he had and was trying to use his very thoughts to open a hole in the ground that would swallow him up.

A dry heaving cackle came from his left, revealing the location of Dr Hata.

"Detective Gotou, she's not going to disappear simply because your not looking at her"

Gotou huffed in response, taking the unlit cigarette from between his lips and throwing it to the ground, crushing it beneath his boot.

"Just give me a cause of death you old freak" He growled. Dr Hata rewarded his comment with another of his dry cackles.

"I can give you several. Strangulation, Exsanguination, Severe Malnutrition, Dehydration, rapid biotic decomposition. And others I could mention" Dr Hata listed cheerfully, yet there was a slight break in his voice. Gotou shuddered, still refusing to look at the child's body.

"So what killed her?" He barked. Dr Hata shrugged.

"Hard to say. Could have been any of them. Could have been all of them. This child suffered greatly"

Swearing heavily, Gotou let out a deep sigh, running one weather beaten hand through his hair. Damn this mess to hell. That damned cat should have warned him about this. He understood why Yakumo wanted him here. The kid had his hands full with Haruka, and it was because of Haruka Gotou _needed_ to be the one to lead this murder case – even though it was no longer his division. But even so...damn it, he was a father know. Surly that cat had to realise what seeing a child so close in age to his own daughter would do to him? Particularly a child that had obviously suffered a horrific death. He really needed to think about retiring. Maybe he could get a nice cosy job as a shop assistant or something? Hell, he'd always liked Geography at school. Maybe he should quit the force and train himself to be a teacher at a local school...?

"Gotou?" Dr Hata inquizative voice cut in. Gotou shuddered and jerked his head – still refusing to look at the body. Once had been enough.

"I asked how you planning on moving her. It would have to be done with great delicacy, as untying the ropes would result in the loss of limbs and-"

"I get it! Damn it, just do what you need to do. Im going to talk to Ishii"

Without saying anything else, Gotou stomped away, keeping his back to the crime scene as he skirted towards where Ishii was stood in front of a police barricade, trying his best to control the row of nosy woman who had decided they were better investigators than the actually police force.

"I'm telling you, this is arson" One of the woman was saying as he approached.

"Burnt bodies turn black. That one's green. I say it was drowned" Another piped in.

"If that were the case we'd smell it from here. I'm saying poisoned" Another said in a matter-of-fact tone. Gotou let a deep growl rumble from his throat when he was close enough for the woman to hear him. They didn't even have the courtesy to look sheepish. One even sniffled pompously. Ignoring them, Gotou rounded on Ishii.

"I thought I told you to get these nosy bats out of here?" He barked. Ishii made a none committal noise and waved helplessly towards the woman.

"I tried but they said they-"

"Have a _right_ to see what's happening in front of our own homes" The oldest of the group butted in jauntily. Gotou rounded his glare on her. She remained unfazed.

"First of all, unless your all homeless, I doubt you all live on the train tracks. There are no residential homes on this street. Second, that body you are all so _casually _discussing is a female child. The same age as some of your grandchildren" This seemed to shut them up. One of the women even paled, her hand hovering over hear heart as her bead eyes locked on to what was visible of the child's remains.

"A child...?" She whispered in horror. Gotou felt no guilt, simply turned his back on them.

"Ishii, I want them gone in the next five minutes. If they're not, I'm gonna arrest the whole damn lot of them and take your badge. Got it?" He snapped. Ishii nearly fell over himself as he darted forwards. Not wanted to remain where he was, and definitely not wanting to return to Hata, Gotou took a short walk to the bus stop Haruka had been standing under only hour before and allowed himself a brief moments rest.

Wanting to procrastinate, he slipped his phone from his pocket and punched in Yakumo's number.

Surprisingly, it was Haruka who answered it.

"Hello?" Her voice sounded weak and distant. She must be feeling awful. Gotou felt a short stab of guilt wash through him. What she was going through was ten times worse than his own misgivings.

"Hey there kiddo. How are you?" He forced his voice to be gentle.

"Gotou! Um, Yakumo is outside. Do you want me to call him for you?"

"Ill talk to him when he comes back. For now, I want to see how you are"

She sighed, the sound heavy with exhaustion.

"I've been better..." Was her light answer. Gotou grimaced, yeah, he'd bet she had.

"Damn kid...I don't know what I can say to cheer you up..." He was starting to feel useless. Haruka gave him a weak sounding laugh.

"I'm alright. Yakumo has been surprisingly caring. He basically threw Detective Kibishi out the door" Gotou frowned heavily. That damn woman...if there had been anyone else on duty at the precinct – hell, at _any_ precinct, he would have send them instead of the dragon lady. Woman had the personality of a goat.

"Yeah...sorry about her. Was she that bad?" He asked.

"She could have been nicer" Haruka said dryly.

"I'll have a word with her next time I make a passing visit to hell" He muttered. Haruka gave a surprised laugh, causing him to grin.

"Gotou! That's mean!...oh, Yakumo is back. Here, I'll pass him to you"

Some brief interference, and a quiet muffled conversation between the two later, Yakumo greeted him with an insult.

"Has your age finally caused you to go senile? Is that why you sent Kibishi here?"

Even though Yakumo was right, Gotou still growled.

"Hey, I apologised for that you damned cat. She was all that was available on such short notice"

"Then you should have delayed taking her statement until someone else was free"

Gotou sighed, and ran his hand through his hair again. In his defence, he hadn't been thinking straight since he'd arrived at the crime scene.

"I know! This whole damn day has been one mess after another. Anyway, what are you two doing? Are you staying at the shrine tonight?" He asked.

"If the weather does not settle down, then that is the most suitable choice"

"Don't get any funny ideas, you hear me? If I hear you've laid one hand on that girl, ill kick your ass my self" Gotou warned. Yakumo let out a self-suffering sounding sigh.

"Its official. You really have gone senile"

"Senile?! I've seen the way you look at her you perverted little sh-"

"Detective Gotou!" Dr Hata's alarmed shout stopped his sentence. The look on the Docter's face had him ending the call instantly.

"What?" Gotou asked, jogging the distance from the bus stop to the other man. The usually pasty skinned doctor looked almost green with shock.

"There was a pulse..."

"WHAT?! Are you telling me she's still alive?!" Gotou roared. Forgetting his oath to steer clear of the body, he dropped to his knees, pressing two large fingered against the child's neck. He felt skin come away beneath his touch. Resisting the urge to vomit, he concentrated all his will into the vein under the girls skin.

"There _was_ a pulse! It was there for a second and then it was gone!"

"How is that even possible!?" Gotou snarled. Dr Hata shrugged his shoulders helplessly. His own fingers pressing firmly against a tiny wrist.

"I'm just telling you what I felt! There was defiantly a pulse, and a strong one at that!"

"And it just disappeared?! Just like that?"

"I'm just telling you what I -"

And then it happened.

One of those bizarre moments where the very earth seemed to stop spinning, in preparation for an event that would cause momentous trauma to those it was aimed at.

The wind stopped its continuous howl, snowflakes seemed to give up mid spin and simply fell to the ground. The murmured voices of the on lookers faded into a strange silence. The rumble of car engines faded into nothing, the crunch of disturbed snow beneath boots muted to the sound of silk.

With time itself at a standstill, all eyes turned towards Amai Hudson's body. Where the gaping wound that used to be a mouth tore open, and a vicious scream ripped through the air.

* * *

**AN:** Don't you just love it when inspiration hits you so hard you get a concussion? :D Now, as for Gotous comment "I've seen the way you look at her you perverted little sh-" it may seem a little out of character for Yakumo, but trust me – if you've read the novels, you'll be squealing in delight :D

**Kaito – neechan: **Was that a good enough impact? ;3 You guys go thank her. It was her review that inspired me to write this so quickly. Oh and our mystery female antagonist who sounds like Nanase Miyuki is definitely NOT Nanase Miyuki. I just really liked her character's personality in the anime. So I stole it ^_^

Exsanguination - the medical term for 'bleeding to death'


	5. Chapter 5

The dull continuous tone of a disconnected call echoed in his ear with a surprising finality. Gotou had admittedly hung up on him more times than he cared to count. Whether it by anger following a dry insult, or from the old man's stupidity. (An example being the time he needed Yakumo to speak to a Police Commissioner and had accidentally hung up instead of transferring the call to speaker phone) Gotou was still being ridiculed over that incident to this day. Not for the accidental mistaking of buttons, but for the fact he spent the following three minutes yelling at the small appliance believing Yakumo was still on the other end.

However, Yakumo could count on one finger the amount of times Gotou had hung up on his whilst in the middle of _giving_ an insult. Nothing short of a natural disaster would stop the grizzly detective from having his say.

Frowning, Yakumo lowered his phone and started at it contemplatively for a few seconds. When it became obvious Gotou wasn't about to call back, he shrugged, and slipped the phone into the back pocket of his jeans.

"Has Gotou gone?" Haruka asked quietly. Turning towards her, Yakumo nodded, stepping over her outstretched legs to throw another damp log into the fire. The wood hissed its annoyance, stream struggling throught the cold bark as heat engulfed it.

"What did he want?" Yakumo questioned, reclaiming his seat near the fire. Haruka gave a soft shrug then let out a deep sigh.

"Just checking up on me I guess. He didn't sound happy at all. Can't say I blame him" She muttered.

Watching the emotions run across her face, Yakumo frowned. The skin under her eyes looked almost black within the amber glow of the fire. Her eyes were bloodshot from her earlier tears, and judging from her constant rubbing – were dry to. She needed to sleep. As factual as that statement was, he knew she wouldn't be succumbing to unconsciousness any time soon. It wouldn't surprise him if she kept herself awake for the next twenty four hours. It was easier to ignore ones memories when you kept your eyes open.

As if sensing his thoughts, Haruka's breath hitched. Her legs sliding across the floor until-her arms were hooked around her knees. The position protective.

Yakumo said nothing, simply let her dwell on her thoughts. She would talk to him when she was ready.

The strangely comfortable silence continued for another three minutes. The snapping of the fire the only noise in the room. Until, as predicted, Haruka let out another watery hiccup and lifted her head.

"Do you think she was murdered?" She asked softly.

Yakumo blinked. Taking a short moment to word his answer. He could lie to her, try to take some of the emotional weight from her shoulders...but he chose to use the brutal honestly she'd expect.

"Yes, I believe she was"

Haruka's eyes widened slightly but she seemed to let out a small breath of what could be considered relief. The emotion more than likely related to his honesty rather than the discussed topic.

"Do you think they'll catch whoever did it?" She mumbled. There was no way he could answer that with any certainty so he gave a nonchalant shrug instead.

"I'm sure Gotou will tear apart half of Tama trying to solve this case"

Surprising him, Haruka gave a small giggle.

"He would probably destroy all of it...poor Gotou. It isn't fair that he had to be the one who..." She trailed off, leaving the sentence empty. Yakumo understood what she meant.

"Did you know Atsuko is pregnant?" Haruka said suddenly. Yakumo whipped his head towards her, his eyes slightly wider that usual.

"She is?"

Haruka nodded, the smallest of smiles gracing her features.

"I only found out today. She called me when I was on the train to uni this morning. Could barely make out what she was saying she was that excited...She said she was going to surprise Gotou and Nao tonight with the news..."

A wave of guilt washed through him. He could only imagine how Atsuko was feeling right now. For her husband to be called away to investigate the brutal murder of a child that was almost the same age as her own adopted daughter, and to be carrying a baby at the same time...

He let out a silent curse, one hand raising to rub tiredly against his temple. Haruka watched his movements through glazed eyes.

"You can't blame yourself for asking Gotou to take charge. He would have done it anyway" She muttered quietly. Yakumo said nothing, to preoccupied with his own thoughts. Haruka sighed, hugging her knees tighter and allowing them to fall into another silence.

This continued, until a sudden icy cold chill settled over the room.

Letting out a startled gasp, Haruka blew out a long shaky breath, watching with some confusion as the cloud appeared in front of her in a thick mist. A shiver crept up her spine, betraying the pleasant warmth from the fireplace. The flames kept up their continuous crackle, seeming oblivious to the sudden drop in temperature. Blowing out another dithering breath, Haruka twisted slowly towards Yakumo, her mouth already opening to form a question.

The harsh expression on Yakumo's face chased the question right from her throat. It emerged as a high pitched squeak.

His eyes were fixated on a point over her left shoulder, lips taught with an unidentifiable emotion. His skin seemed to be pulled taut over his cheek bones, she could see the erratic pulse of a vein on his neck. She had known Yakumo long enough to recognise when he was afraid.

Swallowing against the large lump of fear that had formed in her throat, Haruka began to turn, trying to stay immobile and twist herself around enough to see the other side of the room at the same time.

Something large and warm landed on her wrist, and she nearly yelped. Her head whipped downwards. Yakumo's fingers were wrapped around her skin, squeezing hard enough to silently order her to stay still. Her eyes followed a path from his hand to his face, realising that at some point in the last second, he had moved.

Now he was close to her side, bent in a crouch that allowed him to get a better view of what ever it was that was sending painful chills up and down Haruka's spine. Her mouth opened and closed, the urge to question fighting with her natural instinct to shut down in terror.

The softest of caresses brushed across her cheek, a delicate child-like sensation that almost chased the fear from her body. It was the hissing, burning sting that followed the soft touch that brought a scream welling to the top of Haruka's throat. Something warm pooled down her skin, dripping onto the old material of the blanket on her shoulders in large explosions of red.

Blood.

The scream escaped as a loud yelp, her free hand flying upwards to cover the wound on her face as she half rolled half scurried blindly forwards. Her hair singed and popped as she crawled past the fire, dangerously close to tipping over and falling right into the heath.

Her cheek burnt. The hissing pain increasing with every awkward movement she made. She could feel the warm wetness of blood seeping from her skin, pooling through her fingers and falling in runaway droplets down her hand.

Panting, Haruka pressed her hand as hard as she dared against the wound on her face, even through her panic remembering to apply pressure.

Except, her fingers pressed against smooth skin. She could feel the pain of the cut, the stickiness of blood escaping and falling towards her neck, but as the palm of her hand brushed across her cheek, there was not a single blemish upon her skin.

Slightly delirious, Haruka whimpered and fell back against the wall, her back facing the other half of the room as she lifted her hands, using both to wipe away the wetness on her cheek, trying desperately to find the wound. But no matter how hard she wiped, the blood would not stop. It kept erupting from her skin in waves, running onto her lips and into her mouth. Dripping from her chin to fall in a macabre droplet waterfall onto her chest and shirt.

Nearing hysteria, she bent her fingers, using her nails to physically scrape the liquid away from her skin.

"Stop!" Before she could blink, Yakumo appeared directly in front of her. His hands reaching out to take hold of her wrists, pulling her hands away from the reddening welts she was scratching into her skin. She let out a growling yelp, fighting against him. Her eyes locked with his, unseeing and dilated.

"It's not real!" He snapped, giving her a sharp shake in an attempt to calm her down. Haruka continued to struggle.

"Haruka! It's not real! It is a trick!" He half-shouted. Moving her arms so he could grip both of her wrists in one hand, he used the other to grip her chin. Forcing her to look at him.

"What you are seeing is an illusion. It is not real. It is _not _real!"

"It's not stoooooooping!" The wail tore from Haruka's lips at the same moment her entire body seemed to convulse. A large painful shudder tore through her, her struggles weakening until she simply fell forwards, flopping onto Yakumo's waiting arm.

Letting out a silent hiss, Yakumo laced his free hand under Haruka's stomach, rolling her over until he could lay her gently on the floor.

On the other side of the room, standing with the same detached smile upon what was left of her features, stood the spirit of Amai Husdon. Or rather, what remained of her spirit.

What should be the distressed ethereal remains of a little girl was just a husk. An empty shell of something that had once been a living, breathing human.

On the most part, she looked as she had during life – before her brutal murder. A small, delicate frame dressed in pink thermal trousers and a large oversized sweater. Her hair brushed into a simple braid, bound with little bows on the end. But that was where the similarities ended.

Her outer appearance was that of a small child. But what lived inside that shell, oozed from her body in thick writhing tendrils of pure hatred and malice was something else entirely. In all his years of spiritual communication, Yakumo had never encountered anything so..._foreign._ What ever that thing was on the another side of the room, it was not, nor had it ever been, human.

Amai's face was gone. An open wound was all that was left, a huge gaping hole of darkness that reeked of malevolence. Yet he could still make out features, parts of the continuously moving darkness that thickened in places and thinned in others. Forming the morbid yet recognisable indents of a face.

The spirit had not touched Haruka. It had simply looked at her. Standing so close that the mimic of breath had brushed against Haruka's hair, moving the soft strands. Then it had smiled, and Haruka had reacted as though struck.

He didn't know what Haruka had seen, or what she had felt on her face. But he knew it wasn't real. The fact he could see no danger, no wounds, proved that. He knew spirits could sometimes incorporate phantom bruises and wounds onto a living person. Whether it be for revenge or a desperate cry for help. However, this phenomenon was always visible to others.

The spirit jerked, its facing moving in a gesture that could be considered a yawn. With her body balanced on his knees, Yakumo felt the twitching shudder that arched through Haruka's frame, the strained in take of breath. Narrowing his eyes, Yakumo lifted his gaze to the spirit, keeping a hand upon Haruka's shoulder.

"Enough." He spoke clearly. The tone in his voice allowing for no disobedience. But the spirit simply stared at him, its head tilting in childlike confusion. Slowly, one hand began to rise, a small finger pointing limply towards the woman on the floor.

Then the mouth opened, and even though no noise came out, Yakumo heard the word spoken clearly.

_**'mine'**_

* * *

AN: Sorry!


End file.
